It hasn't been a week since the Graduate Management Admissions Council announced the launch of a remote GMAT, but the first reaction is already in, and it is mostly... frustration.
In a move explained by the desire to ensure the exam integrity, GMAC has prohibited taking handwritten notes during the exam. Candidates are not allowed to have any paper on the desk and are instead offered an online whiteboard.
As anyone who has ever tried to write mathematical equations in a computer app knows, it is not a good alternative to scratch paper. Regardless of whether the tool allows the use of keyboard to convert text into formulas, candidates find that writing on a digital whiteboard takes them about one minute longer per question. That means 31 minutes more on the quant section of the exam - the luxury test takers don't have.
In contrast, on the take-at-home GRE candidates are allowed to use pen and paper - as long as the online proctor can see what they write.
